abalone U.S.
(æbəˈləʊnɪ)
Also abelone, avalone, etc.
[Amer. Sp. abulón (f. Monterey Indian aulun) in same sense.]
A gastropod mollusc of the genus Haliotis, used for food; an ear-shell or sea-ear. Also attrib.
| 1850 B. Taylor Eldorado I. xvii. 174 The avelone, which is a univalve, found clinging to the sides of rocks, furnishes the finest mother-of-pearl. 1870 Amer. Naturalist III. 250 These shells are popularly called Sea-ears... In California the people call them Abalones. Ibid. 256 Haliotis or Abalone shells. 1882 Harper's Mag. Oct. 728 They [sc. Chinamen in S. California] prepare..the avallonia meat and avallonia shells for their home market. 1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 6 The abalone shell is found..on the southern California coast, and when polished makes a beautiful ornament. 1936 Russell & Yonge Seas (ed. 2) xvi. 350 Among the many shells used for decorative purposes we..mention one, known in the Channel Islands as the Ormer and on the Pacific coast of North America as the Abalone. |